Fuel burner assembly

ABSTRACT

A BURNER ASSEMBLY FOR THE COMBUSTION OF LIQUID FUEL WHEREIN A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED VANES ARE ADJUSTABLE TO CONTROL WHIRLING MOVEMENTOF SECONDARY AIR AND AN ASSEMBLY DESIGNED TO PREVENT CIRCUMFERENTIALLY MOVING AIR FROM MOVING INTO A REGENERATIVE TILE WHICH FORMS A PART OF THE ASSEMBLY.

Feb. 6, 1973 Filed Jan. 26, 1971 1'.:IOI'IIIYIIZOIII- J. 5, z| ETAL3,715,181

FUEL BURNER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS JOHN SMITH Z/NK HERSHELGOOD/V/GHT ROBERT D. REED ATTORNEY Feb. 6, 1973 .1. s. ZINK ETAL3,715,181

FUEL BURNER ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1971 //V VE N T0215 JOHN SMITH znvx HERSHEL GOODNIGHT ROBERT D. REED A TTORNEY UnitedStates Patent Office 3,715,181 Patented Feb. 6, 1973 3,715,181 FUELBURNER ASSEMBLY John Smith Zink, Hershel Goodnight, and Robert D. Reed,Tulsa, Okla., assignors to John Zink Company, Tulsa, Okla.

Filed Jan. 26, 1971, Ser. No. 109,834 Int. Cl. F23m 9/00 US. Cl. 431-1844 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A burner assembly for the combustionof liquid fuel wherein a plurality of circumferentially spaced vanes areadjustable to control whirling movement of secondary air and an assemblydesigned to prevent circumferentially moving air from moving into aregenerative tile which forms a part of the assembly.

The present invention relates to a fuel burner assembly for thecombustion of liquid fuel and the invention more specifically pertainsto vanes which may be adjusted to control circumferential componentsimparted to the secondary air which moves over the exterior of aregenerative tile within which combustion of the liquid fuel isinitiated.

An object of the invention is to provide a fuel burning assembly whichis adaptable for automatic operation wherein the firing may vary fromten percent to one hundred percent of the designed heat release and toprovide high temperature in the area immediately downstream of theatomizing mechanism for the liquid fuel and within a regenerative tileand to avoid circumferential movement of air within the regenerativetile to prevent the formation of coke and to provide adjustable vaneswhich impart circumferential movement of the air moving into the furnaceover the exterior of the regenerative tile.

Other objects and features of the invention will be appreciated andbecome apparent to those skilled in the art as the present disclosureproceeds and upon consideration of the accompanying drawings wherein anembodiment of the invention is disclosed.

In the drawings:

:FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a burner assembly exhibiting theinvention,

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view with portions broken away toillustrate parts of the adjusting mechanism for the vanes which controlmovement of the secondary air,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the regenerative tile,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of one of the vanes and taken on the line4--4 of FIG. 1.

There is shown at a portion of a furnace wall and which may form a partof the boiler structure. A burner tile 11 is mounted in an opening inthe furnace wall, as shown in FIG. 1. A ring shaped member 12 assists inholding the burner tile 11 in place and forms a portion of the supportfor the adjustable vanes as hereinafter described. A wall 16 is spacedupstream from a furnace wall and provides a part of a housing whichforms a wind box for air which has to move into the furnace through theopening 14 in the burner tile. An annular front plate 17 is supported onthe wall 16.

A regenerative tile shown generally at 21 includes a ceramic liner 22 asshown in FIG. 3 which is supported within a metal casing 23 attached toa front plate 24 by any suitable means which in turn is secured to theplate 17 in any suitable manner. The regenerative tile has a disc shapedceramic member 25 supported within the easing 23. It is of smallerdiameter than the inner annular surface 26 of the liner 22 to provide anannular opening 27 between the perimeter of member 25 and the innerannular surface 26. A plurality of circumferentially spaced ports 28 inthe casing 23 adjacent the perimeter of the disc shaped member 25 forthe entry of air into the regenerative tile. The disc shaped member 25has a central opening 29. The upstream end portion of the casing 23 isprovided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 36. Anannular shield 38 is mounted within the casing and it is adapted to bemoved axially of the regenerative tile assembly so as to adjust the openareas of the openings 36. A nozzle 32 and a suitable atomizing mechanismis adapted to deliver droplets of the liquid fully through the opening29.

A plurality of circumferentially spaced shafts 41 are mounted forrotation in bearings carried by the ring 12 and annular member 42. Theshafts 41 extend through the wall portion 40 at the upstream end of theburner assembly. A vane 44 is mounted on each shaft so as to turntherewith. In one rotated position of all of the shafts 41 the vanes 44overlap each other as shown in FIG. 2. A sprocket wheel 46 is mounted onthe outer end of each shaft 41. A sprocket chain 47 trained about all ofthese sprocket wheels is maintained in a taut condition by an idlersprocket 48 (FIG. 2). The sprocket chain and the sprocket wheels areencased in an annular housing 51 carried by the front wall portion 40.An extension 52 carried by one of the shafts 41 extends outside of theannular housing. A control lever 53 mounted on the shaft extension 52serves to rotate the associated shaft 41 and move the sprocket chain 47to rotate all of the vanes 44 in unison.

In operation the rotated position of the vanes 44 controls thecircumferential component imparted to the air which moves over theexterior of the regenerative tile 21 and through the opening 14 in theburner tile 11. There is some movement of the air inwardly through theports 28 but this air is downstream of the unspun air admitted throughthe openings 36. The openings 36 admit air for movement into theinterior of the regenerative tile 21. The annular member 42 prevents anycircumferential movement of air as created by the vanes 44 from movinginto the interior of the regenerative tile through the openings 36. Thusthe air moving over in the exterior of the nozzle assembly 32 does notdevelop coke on the interior of the regenerative tile 21 and the liquidfuel burns and attains a relatively high temperature before it escapesfrom the downstream end of the regenerative tile.

While the invention has been described with reference to a particularorganization of elements making up a fuel burner assembly it will beappreciated that changes may be made in the general organization as wellas alterations in the various elements. Such modifications and othersmay be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a burner assembly for the combustion of liquid fuels, a burnertile having an opening therein, a regenerative tile of smaller externaldiameter than the opening in said burner tile with the major portionpositioned upstream of the burner tile, means for developing atomizationof the liquid fuel within the regenerative tile, a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced vanes mounted for individual rotation about theexterior of the regenerative tile, means for adjusting the rotatedposition of said vanes to alter the circumferential components impartedto the air moving between the vanes whereby the extent of the whirlingmovement of air as it moves over the downstream end of said regenerativetile and through the opening in said burner tile is controlled and saidregenerative tile having openings in the upstream end portion for theentry of air devoid of circumferential movement.

2. In a burner assembly for the combustion of liquid fuels according toclaim 1 including means between the upstream ends of said vanes and theopenings in the regenerative tile preventing air passing between thevanes from entering the upstream end portion of the regenerative tile.

3. A burner assembly for the combustion of a liquid fuel comprising aburner tile having an opening therethrough, a regenerative tilesupported with a downstream open end disposed within said opening andwith the major portion thereof upstream of the burner tile, means foratomizing a liquid fuel within said regenerative tile downstream of theopen end, means comprising an annular opening for admission of air aboutsaid regenerative tile and circumferentially spaced overlapping vanesadapted to be rotated to open and close the opening, the last said meanscommunicating with means for admission of air into the regenerative tileadjacent its upstream end and with the opening through the burner tile,and means for preventing air having circumferential movement impartedthereto by said vanes from entering the upstream end of the regenerativetile, whereby the atomized fuel is ignited while within the confines ofthe regenerative tile and while protected thereby from circumferentialmovement of air through the opening in the burner tile.

4. The burner assembly of claim 3 wherein the regenerative tile isenclosed in a cylindrical casing, the means for admitting air into theupstream end of the regenerative tile comprises a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced openings in the casing, and means comprising aring adapted to slide over said openings and vary the cross-sectionthereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,801,431 4/1931 Irish 431-1833,007,512 11/1961 Te Nuyl et a1. 43l-183 X 2,087,869 7/1937 Blodgett431183 EDWARD G. FAVORS, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 239-402.5

